backyard chickens

IS IT TO CLOD

Many people are tempted to add a heater or leave a light on all day during the cold of winter thinking that their poor chickens are freezing out in the weather. Most experts strongly advice against this. The risk of fire is too great and chickens are far more resilient than most people think. Making a cautionary point, a regular 100-watt light bulb burns at 200º F; a heat lamp at 500 º F, wood ignites at 575º – 600º F, leaving very little margin for safe operation. The wood dust and their soft downy feathers that like to collect on the bulbs will ignite at an even lower temperature.

A single, heat lamp (250w) running all the time will cost you something like $24+ per month on your electric bill. If you live in an area where a snow storm or ice storm could knock your service out for days, chickens used to a very warm coop could find themselves in real trouble. Even in normal winter temperatures it’s hard on your birds to go from the warm coop to outside and then back in.

grubblyfarms.com